ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 25. Kazakhstan will continue to expand the fleet of local airlines and plans to increase their number to 145 by 2025, Trend reports.
The country is currently working on the issue of a new low-cost airline and an international company entering the Kazakh market. Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev said that this will allow competition, as a result of which air ticket prices in Kazakhstan will decrease.
Meanwhile, the demand for air travel in the country increased by 27 percent over the year.
In order to meet demand, Kazakhstan began to actively purchase new aircraft.
"This year we are buying 11 more aircraft, then there will be 100 aircraft in Kazakhstan. And by 2025, we plan that domestic passenger airlines will have 145 of their own aircraft. We also have plans to launch new air routes," the minister noted.
As previously known, Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines has signed a contract for the supply of seven new Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft to expand its fleet. The contract with Boeing was concluded as part of the 18th international aerospace exhibition, Dubai Airshow 2023, held in Dubai.
Replenishing the fleet with seven more new Boeing 737-MAX 8 will increase the airline's carrying capacity, which in turn will have a positive impact on the punctuality of flights and the expansion of the route network.
Currently, the aircraft fleet of SCAT Airlines comprises 37 planes. In 2022 and 2023, nine new aircraft of the Boeing 737 type were purchased.